20 Weeks!

Yay!  Made it to the halfway point!

The most exciting part of this last week?  Going to the anatomy scan and then having our gender reveal party!!!  So here's how it went down . . . Friday afternoon (at 19 weeks, 5 days), Steve and I went in to have our anatomy scan.  This is about an hour long scan where they look at EVERYTHING to do with the baby and make sure that everything is in perfect working order!  The sonographer checked baby's heart, brain, lungs, abdominal cavity, liver, stomach, kidneys, and spine!  She showed us each hand and foot, the face, even the individual arm and leg bones!  She checked the umbilical cord, my cervix, and even showed us the four chambers of the heart!  It was really quite amazing to see this little person my body was creating!  I couldn't get over all the little pieces of the body that God had already formed together!  As far as we know and as she told us, everything looked great!  Baby Simmons is very healthy!  I did learn that I have an anterior placenta, which just means that my placenta is located in front, and baby is behind it.  Because of that, the sonographer couldn't quite get the best views of the heart, so I have to go back in a few weeks for another short scan.  I'll take any excuse to see baby again!  Baby's heartbeat was around 150 or so, and measuring 6 days ahead (20 weeks, 4 days), weighing about 14 oz!  Baby's already big!

So during the scan, we told the sonographer that we wanted the sex of the baby to be a surprise for our gender reveal party the next day.  She had us close our eyes a few times when she was looking between baby's legs, and wrote the sex down on a piece of paper, printed off a few pics, and sealed it in an envelope.  After the scan, I took the envelope to Party City with a giant box I had pre-decorated, and gave them instructions to look in the envelope and fill the box with appropriate colored balloons for the next day.  Whew - out of my hands!  I knew I didn't want that envelope sitting around the house for long!

Our gender reveal party was awesome!  I did a harvest/Fall theme, and we held it outside on my Dad's lawn, and had a fire going to try and stay warm - it was a bit chilly out!  Here are some pics from the party:

 

 

And then came time for the reveal!  I was so nervous that it was finally time to find out!

IT'S A BOY!!!  Steve and I were pretty surprised!  I think I was so convinced it was a girl, because of the gender prediction results, that I had convinced Steve it was a girl.  So blue balloons were a big
surprise!  We also revealed baby's name afterwards - say hello to Zane Andrew Simmons!!!

So here's how baby Zane is progressing this week:  Zane should be around 6.5 inches from crown to rump, or 10.5 inches from head to heel, and should weigh about 10.5 ounces - though our ultrasound tech did say that it looks like he weighs 14 ounces, and is longer!  Zane now has working taste buds, and they say that many of the foods I can eat he can taste through swallowing the amniotic fluid!  Zane's ears are fully functioning now, which is awesome for Daddy's nighttime ritual of reading him a story! 

Here's me at 20 weeks:

How far along?  20 Weeks - halfway there!

Maternity clothes?  Yes, I even got some new shirts this week - I've been noticing some of mine don't cover my tummy all too well

Total Weight Gain:  I actually gained 2 pounds this week!  Crazy!  So, that's 12 pounds lost, and 3 pounds gained, still leaving me at 9 pounds lost since I've been pregnant.

Sleep:  Still getting up a lot to use the bathroom, and trying to get comfortable with lots of pillows.

Best moment this week:  Seeing our little boy on the ultrasound!

Miss Anything?  Cold turkey sandwiches :)

Movement:  I can feel Zane everyday now with little twitches, AND on Saturday, on the drive home, I felt my first big kick!  It scared me so much I jumped!  I've been feeling the kicks more and more, and often they make me jump!  I've got a little soccer player in there!  He even woke me up out of a dead sleep the other night, and it hurt enough to make me yell out!  I'm a little surprised, because with an anterior placenta, you're not supposed to be able to feel the baby until later!  

Food cravings:  Orange juice

Anything making you queasy or sick: Still the smell of bacon!

Any other symptoms?  Breathlessness, fatigue, dizziness here and there, peeing all the time!

Have you started to show yet:  Yes

Gender prediction:  It's a boy!

Labor Signs:  No

Belly Button in or out?  In

Wedding rings on or off?  On

Happy or Moody most of the time:  I feel I was mostly happy this week, just a little stressed out

Looking forward to:  We're moving this week - so another busy week, but just looking forward to being in our new place!

19 Weeks!

Another busy week down!  

We've been trying to pack and get our apartment ready to move in the next week or two.  I started moving boxes into the new apartment.  We're very excited about our new place!  It's the perfect size for us and baby!  It has such character - like the tiled floor in the hallway, and the stained glass window in the nursery, and the clawfoot bathtub in the bathroom!  

 

I had a little scare this week at work.  I was carrying a box, and accidentally bumped into something, and the box bumped really hard into my abdomen.  I had some pain and cramping for a few minutes afterwards, which soon subsided to just minor cramping for the next few hours.  I had just gotten to work, and had a really busy day, so I stayed until I was finished with all the important stuff, then headed to the Midwife office to get checked out.  Baby was kicking and moving around like crazy!  Baby's heartbeat was fine, as well as my blood pressure.  And she said my uterus didn't feel like it was contracting or anything, so all was well.  It's just scary to think that I'm responsible for this growing human inside of me!  I know that baby is well protected, but it's still scary!

Baby Simmons is about 6 inches long this week (crown to rump), and weighs around 8.5 ounces!  Inside baby's brain, specialized areas are developing for sensory development - smell, touch, taste, hearing, and vision.  A waxy, protective coating called vernix caseosa is forming on its skin to prevent it from pickling over the next few months in the amniotic fluid.  Another big development - baby's hair has started to grow from its scalp! 

Here's me at 19 weeks!

How far along?  19 weeks

Maternity clothes?  Yes, pants, and I just ordered a few maternity shirts from Old Navy that should be coming in soon!  

Total Weight Gain:  Down .5 pound this week, making 11 pounds lost total

Sleep:  I'm trying to get used to sleeping on my side more, and not my back, even though the midwife said that as long as I'm not having any adverse symptoms, that wasn't a big deal.  But I still worry.  I have a pillow that goes between my knees, and a pillow that I stuff around my belly to kind of prop it up lol.  I need to get a body pillow!

Best moment this week:  I was at a meeting for VN, and when we were doing worship, as soon as we started singing, baby started moving around like crazy!  It was the first time I've been able to feel baby while I was standing up (instead of lying or sitting down!).  When the singing stopped, baby stopped.  Then baby started kicking again during the next song!

Miss Anything?  Not getting up like 3 times during the night to go pee

Movement:  I feel baby everyday now, though still no super distinctive kicks - more like twitches.

Food cravings:  Lemonade!

Anything making you queasy or sick:  Still just the smell of cooking bacon

Any other symptoms?  Random tiredness - some days, I just need a nap.

Have you started to show yet:  Yes, baby is growing bigger!

Gender prediction:  I keep going back and forth between boy and girl, and so does Steve!

Labor Signs:  Nope!

Belly Button in or out?  In

Wedding rings on or off?  On

Happy or Moody most of the time:  A little of both

Looking forward to:  This week has finally arrived - I can't believe it!  On Friday, we go in for our anatomy scan - that means we get to see our little clover again!  And then Saturday - the Gender Reveal Party!!!!  Let's hope that baby cooperates for the scan!!

Oh, here's our super cute invite to our party!

Hope to see some of you there!

18 Weeks!

Hello Everyone!

So, although I have been pretty busy this week, pregnancy brain is in full swing because I honestly just kept forgetting to post my blog!  I've always been pretty forgetful, but I feel like it's 10x worse now!  But I will try and talk about LAST week lol.  The thing that sticks out in my head the most about last week was last Friday.  I had a very busy day at work, and came home exhausted.  But it was more than just exhaustion, I felt like I couldn't even move!  But I knew I had a lot to do, so in the spirit of trying to get something done for the day, I decided to do laundry.  I remember sitting on the floor putting clothes in the basket and then pushing it out of the bedroom - I didn't even have enough energy to stand at that point.  I also had a splitting headache, which if you know me well enough, you may well know that I never get headaches.  Like ever.  So this was new for me.  But I had heard that it was common in pregnancy, and I figured maybe the exhaustion from the first trimester had come back to visit for the day.  Steve started researching to see what natural remedies there were for headaches, since I've really been trying not to take any medication while pregnant.  Then he asked me, "Have you been drinking water today?"  I thought back throughout the day, and except for a cup of lemonade and a bit of YooHoo, I literally hadn't had any water!  I'm usually pretty good about it - I try to drink quite a bit while I'm at work, and when I get home.  Steve gave me a 32oz powerade and within a few hours, I was feeling back to my normal self!  I didn't realize that dehydration could happen so easily when you're pregnant!  So that was my big event of the week lol.

I also got to photograph an adorable 1-year-old this week, as well as second shoot a beautiful wedding in Biddeford Pool!  The busy photography season is definitely coming to an end.  I don't have any more weddings I plan to shoot right now until January.  Which is good, because I'm starting to get wiped out fairly quickly these days!  I've also tried to start packing this week, to get a head start on the move.  I got a ton of small boxes from work, that way I'm not packing or lifting anything too heavy.  I forgot how much work moving is!  But I know it will be worth it!

I think the biggest change I've noticed this week is that I'm starting to "feel" more pregnant physically.  Although I haven't quite "popped" yet, I can feel the pressure and weight of my uterus growing inside of me - I used to only be able to feel it while lying down, but now it's constant.  I can even stand up and press into my lower abdomen, and it's starting to get hard!  

Baby Simmons should be about 5.5 inches long this week (crown to rump) and weigh about 7 ounces now!  If we're having a boy, his genitals should be noticeable by now (I guess we'll see soon!), and if it's a girl, her uterus and fallopian tubes are already formed and in place!  Baby is very busy moving around and stretching now! 

Here's me at 18 weeks:

So after looking at that picture, I realized how much my roots are growing out!  I need to dye my hair!  I've been trying to wait, but I don't know!  And so he doesn't get left out, here's Steve at 18 weeks :)

How far along?  18 Weeks!

Maternity clothes?  Yup

Total Weight Gain:  I can't believe it, but I actually gained a pound this week, so that puts me at about 10.5 pounds lost total.  

Sleep:  I've been regularly getting up about twice a night.  I tend to get cramps in my calves and feet throughout the night too.  And I have to be propped up with all sorts of pillows lying on my side to be comfortable - so sleep is OK I guess lol

Best moment this week:  I'm honestly not sure, I wish I could remember more of last week . . . 

Miss Anything?  I guess just the feeling of "normal" right now.  I wouldn't say I'm sick of pregnancy yet, but it's definitely like, "Ok, we've been at this for quite awhile now . . ."  

Movement:  I'm pretty much feeling baby a few times a day, every day now.  It's still little twitches, and usually when I'm sitting or lying down.  I feel like I may have felt a little bump or two from the outside, but they've been very very light.

Food cravings:  Orange juice and YooHoo - pretty sure I could live off of these drinks, and cereal.  Yup, that's all I would need :)

Anything making you queasy or sick:  Why can't I smell cooking bacon without gagging!?

Any other symptoms?  Light headaches (except for that big one on Friday), pressure in abdomen and on my bladder, shortness of breath.

Have you started to show yet:  It's getting there!

Gender prediction:  I still think it's a girl, and Steve thinks it's a boy.

Labor Signs:  Nope!

Belly Button in or out?  In!

Wedding rings on or off?  On!

Happy or Moody most of the time:  Um, I'm not sure.  A bit of both?

Looking forward to:  Moving, our next ultrasound, our gender reveal party, finishing photo editing!

17 Weeks!

Hello!

Boy, it is a busy time of year for me!  My sister and I travelled down to Connecticut this past weekend because we had the immense pleasure of photography my cousin, Meredith's wedding!  It was so nice to be surrounded by family, even though we were working!  Steve came along with us for the ride, and we stayed at his family's house, so we got to do a little bit of visiting.  We've also been spending a lot of time looking at apartments lately.  I know we don't technically need a bigger place right now, but we were afraid of waiting until January or February and not being able to find a place (who moves in the middle of a Maine winter?!).  Not to mention the idea of me trying to pack and move while being very pregnant in the middle of winter doesn't sound like much fun.  So we've been looking and looking and looking.  We've gotten turned down for a few places because they won't allow us to have our pet snake, Houdini.  But we found a place!  The landlord is a very kind Christian man who actually knows a lot of the same people that we do!  We can't wait to move in in a few weeks!  Speaking of Houdini - I did a mini-photoshoot of him and Steve outside this week :)

So we got our test results back from the Quad screening.  This was when I went for the special ultrasound at 12 weeks, and had my blood drawn and 12 and 16 weeks.  It scans for chromosomal abnormalities and genetic disorders, such as Down Syndrome, Cystic Fibrosis, or Spina Bifida.  The great news is that all the tests came back negative!  So far we are looking at a very healthy baby boy or girl!  This is certainly a huge relief - now I can move on to worrying about everything else!

So here we are at 17 weeks!  The baby's skeleton is changing from soft cartilage to bone now, which hopefully means I should be able to feel it move more!  Baby should weigh about 5 ounces this week, and should measure about 5 inches long from crown to rump!  Wow, it's growing so much!  The umbilical cord is getting much thicker and stronger, and the baby is starting to form a layer of fat underneath its skin - this is very important for metabolism and heat production!  

Here's me at 17 weeks (with my awesome car!):

How far along?  17 Weeks!

Maternity clothes?  Yes, mostly because they're comfy :)

Total Weight Gain:  Down another 1/2 a pound this week, so 11.5 pounds lost total. 

Sleep:  Besides the normal tossing and turning, I've been sleeping pretty well at night, and making it through the day just fine without a nap.

Best moment this week:  Getting the test results back - such a relief!  And signing the lease for our new apartment!

Miss Anything?  A little bit - the normal stuff.  But I'm getting over it.

Movement:  A few twitches and flutters here and there - I felt it last night while Steve was reading a book to the baby.

Food cravings:  Nothing too special - salty, sweet - I eat it all!

Anything making you queasy or sick:  Still just the smell of bacon, but that's it!

Any other symptoms?  Minor headaches here and there, which is abnormal because I just don't really get headaches.  And the crying - yup, still crying over just about anything.

Have you started to show yet:  I think I'm getting a little bit rounder :)

Gender prediction:  I think it's a girl!

Labor Signs:  Nope!

Belly Button in or out?  In!

Wedding rings on or off?  On!

Happy or Moody most of the time:  It's really up and down - totally fine one minute, irritable the next, and crying later.

Looking forward to:  Another busy week ahead for me!  So I guess just the end of it - not that's it's bad, but it should slow down a little after this week.  Really looking forward to the gender reveal party at the end of the month, and moving into our new apartment!

Have a great week everyone!